Safety net



July 12, 1938. V 0, YOUNG 7 2,123,268 SAFETY NET Filed Jan. 22, 1938 Car l lb/W my 0/215 4. You/7g INVENTOR ATTO RN EYS Patented July 12, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to safety nets for oil Well derricks and similar devices and has for the primary object the provision of an efficient and inexpensive device of this character which may be readily secured on a derrick at variable distances above the ground in which a person may be caught when falling from the derrick to prevent the person from falling a great distance or otherwise endanger the persons life and includes means through which materials may be passed during work or construction on the derrick and which means may be substantially closed to afford a maximum amount of protection.

With these and other objects. in vieW, this invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For a complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view illustrating a safety net constructed in accordance with the present invention and showing the same secured on a fragmentary portion of a derrick.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the securing of the net on the derrick Structure.

Figure 3 is a plan view showing one of the securing elements.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numeral I indicates a fragmentary portion of a derrick including the uprights 2 and connecting members 3. A complete derrick includes throughout its height several groups of connecting members 3 arranged at different elevations from the ground. At the present time persons working on oil Well derricks are afforded no protection should they fall from any great distance above the surface of the ground. Consequently, many persons are seriously injured and frequently killed. To obviate these hazards my invention may be readily adapted on the derrick at various elevations above the ground or well and consists of a substantially rectangular shaped net 4 composed of a plurality of interlaced or connected strands 5 and 6. The strands 5 extend at right angles to the strands 6 throughout the major portion of the net. However, at one corner towards the center of the net a pair of strands 5 are arranged in diverging relation to define in the net a substantially V-shaped opening I and secured on one of the latter-named strands 5 is a flap 8 composed of interlaced strands and said flap is equipped with hooks or like fasteners 9 whereby the flap may be attached onto the other strand 5 of the opening. Several fasteners 9 being employed for the connecting of the flap in position to substantially close the V-shaped opening permits the flap to be adjusted so that the closing of the V-shaped opening can be varied.

To secure the net 4 on the derrick, a plurality of flexible elements. ID are provided each having secured to its ends hooks H. The flexible elements are adapted to be passed around the vertical uprights 2 of the derrick as well as around the connecting members 3 and the hooks thereof are fastened onto the marginal strands of the net thereby efiiciently and detachably mounting the net on the derrick. Certain of the strands of the net are provided with loops [2 in which the hooks of certain of the fastening elements may engage when mounting the net on the smaller portions of the derrick. One of the flexible elements is preferably of a greater length than the others and its hooks are engaged with the marginal strands of the V-shaped opening and passed about one of the uprights, as clearly shown in Figure 1, so as to maintain the V-shaped opening in the net spread for permitting materials to be easily passed through the opening from either above or below the net. Any workman engaged on the derrick above the net will be protected from falling to the ground by being caught in the net. The adjustability of the net on the derrick is for the purpose of permitting the net to be used on derricks under construction and as the construction work ascends the safety net can be easily moved upwardly from one girt of the derrick to another.

What is claimed is:

A safety net for oil well derricks comprising a net structure including in one corner thereof an opening, a flap forming a part of the net structure and having one, edge detachably connected to the net structure whereby the size of the opening may be increased and decreased, a plurality of flexible elements each including hooks for connection with the net structure after the passing of the flexible element around parts of the derrick, said net structure including a series of looped elements to be engaged by hooks of certain of the flexible elements for connecting OTIS L. YOUNG. 

